Hoekstra: Iraq Hostilities Have Huge Ramifications for US

The surge in hostilities in Iraq is a disaster for the United States, Iraq, and the Middle East, Pete Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Newsmax TV's "America's Forum."

Hoekstra said the fall of cities and regions to militants fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (ISIS) will have serious ramifications that could divide Iraq into two regions.

"No. 1, we're going to see a partitioned Iraq," Hoekstra said. "Whatever is left of original Iraq is going to be in the south. You're going to have this Islamic state now ... and then you're going to see a Kurdistan, which has ramifications for Syria, Turkey, and Iran."
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In addition, the attacks will enable the continued emergence of Iran as being the regional power in the Middle East, he said.

"If we intervene in Iraq, we may be fighting alongside of the Iranians," Hoekstra said. "The Iranians are also providing oil to [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad, so you're seeing an emergence of Iran."

The United States should also keep its eye on Jordan, said Hoekstra, because a whole new surge of refugees will be flooding the country, and it cannot handle more.

"They've got the Palestinians that they've had for 50 years, they've got the Iraqi refugees that they've had for 10, they've got Syrian refugees," said Hoekstra. "This is going to start to destabilize King Abdullah, our key ally in the region."

Israel is also looking at a destabilized Sinai Peninsula, said Hoekstra, because of the Obama administration's actions in Egypt.

"They're looking at a broken Syria on their north," said Hoekstra. "Jordan, that's going to be coming under more pressure in an Islamic state just to the east of Jordan."

And the economy of the United States will suffer, said Hoekstra, as oil prices will start to climb.

"The last time we saw prices this high was during the Arab Spring," he said. "This is going to undercut, this is going to have an impact on our economy."

The surge in hostilities in Iraq is a disaster for the United States, Iraq, and the Middle East, Pete Hoekstra, former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Newsmax TV's "America's Forum."